Man charged at Dutch Harbor with crab overages

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

Feds hit O'Hara with $191,971 in penalties

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following cases charged in February:

• C/P Defender — Owner O'Hara Corp. and operator Michael Burgett were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with directed fishing in an Atka mackerel no fishing zone. A $102,137 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

• C/P Defender — Owner O'Hara Corp. and operator Dean Slater were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with directed fishing in an Atka mackerel no fishing zone. An $89,834 NOVA was issued.

$8,250 penalty assessed in sablefish discards case

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following case charged in January:

• F/V Mirage — Owner JJ Mirage LLC and operator Jeffrey Turner were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with illegally discarding IFQ sablefish caught with fixed gear when any IFQ permit holder aboard held unused sablefish IFQ and with failing to record discard information in their vessel's Daily Fishing Logbook. An $8,250 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued.

Cutter interacts with Bering fisheries during patrol

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bertholf carried out fisheries enforcement and assistance during a 130-day deployment patrolling the Bering Sea.

The 418-foot Bertholf conducted 24 boardings of commercial fishing vessels, and responded to a disabled fishing vessel 80 nautical miles northeast of Dutch Harbor, a Coast Guard press release said.

"The fishing vessel Seabrooke had lost all electrical power, including navigation equipment and steering as a significant storm was approaching their position," the press release said. "Bertholf arrived on scene and placed the disabled vessel in tow using a bridle that Bertholf's crew handcrafted. Bertholf was relieved of the tow by commercial salvage vessel Makushin Bay who towed the disabled vessel safely into port at Akutan."

Two foreign-flagged trampers were boarded, the Coast Guard said.

The Bertholf also patrolled along the maritime boundary line between the United States and Russia.

Federal authorities conclude three cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports the following case resolutions:

• F/V U.S. Intrepid — Crewman Zedrick Moli (aka Zedrick Allen) was charged under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with harassing and sexually harassing a female fisheries observer. An $18,000 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued. The NOVA became a final administrative decision due to default.

• F/V Norse Maid — Operator/IFQ hired master Nick A. Carlson was charged under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with failing to log one fishing trip in the Observer Deploy and Declare System as required. A $4,500 NOVA was issued. The NOVA became a final administrative decision due to default.

• F/V Cape Caution — Operator Kerby Glen Mitchell was charged under the Northern Pacific Halibut Act with possessing chunked halibut in violation of the act's annual management measures. Chunked halibut in the amount of 232 pounds was forfeited by abandonment. A $2,050 NOVA was issued, and the case settled for $1,845.

Feds detail three enforcement cases

NOAA's Office of General Counsel reports these cases charged in December:

• F/V Evie Grace — Owner Evie Grace Fisheries LLC and operator Robert B. Langdon were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with observer sampling interference, unlawful discard of a Rockfish Program species, and with exceeding maximum retainable amounts of bycatch in 2022 and 2023. A $35,918 NOVA (notice of violation and assessment) was issued, and the case settled for $33,368.

• F/V Gambler — Owner Gambler Tendering LLC and operator Kyle Potter were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with operating a vessel without transmitting from a vessel monitoring system when required, and with catching and retaining Pacific cod from waters adjacent to the Gulf of Alaska without all required designations and/or endorsements, and/or when directed fishing for Pacific cod was not open. A $29,621.38 NOVA was issued.

• F/V Unimak — Owner Unimak Vessel LLC and operator David L. Ostrom were charged jointly and severally under the Magnuson-Stevens Act with exceeding the maximum retainable amount of pollock on one fishing trip and failing to timely submit one product transfer report. A $4,514 NOVA was issued.